It’s like we’re living through those good old times with Sourav Ganguly and Greg Chappell again, only this time, it’s the Indian women’s cricket team at the focal point.

For a quick recap on events as they unfolded, the Indian women’s T20 cricket team captain Mithali Raj was dropped mysteriously from the playing eleven in a T20 series semifinal match, which the team ended up losing very badly. Promptly thereafter, both Ms Raj and her managers accused the Indian team coach Ramesh Powar for being biased in his decision to drop her.

To that effect, Ms Raj wrote a lengthy letter to the BCCI explaining her plight in vivid detail and highlighting interactions that led her to believe that Powar was in fact, biased against her. Consequently, Mr Powar was asked to appear in front of the cricket board and explain his actions. Ramesh Powar defended his decision, saying he had acted purely on the basis of evaluated performance, and that in his opinion, Mithali Raj wasn’t performing well, and was ‘difficult to handle’.

In the most recent development in this issue, it has come to the attention of mainstream media that the BCCI has issued an announcement, asking new interested and potential candidates (for the post of the coach of the Indian women’s cricket team) to apply. This further indicates that the existing contract with Mr Powar (which expires on November 30th) will not be renewed.

“The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) would like to call upon interested candidates to apply for the position of ‘Head Coach – Team India (Senior Women)’.” – Official BCCI Bulletin

The BCCI plans to conduct an interview of all shortlisted candidates on Thursday, 20th December, 2018 at their Mumbai headquarters. While this may not appear to be a direct answer to the Powar-Raj question, it definitely says a lot about the BCCI going out of its way to avoid any conspiracies in the future. Unlike the former male Indian captain (Ganguly), however, there is still a chance for Ms Raj to make her comeback in the team, especially in other international cricketing formats. It’s ironic and heartening at the same time, to see that cricketing advancements will favor the cause of women in the sport.

Shomprakash Sinha Roy is a writer, journalist, musician and fitness enthusiast based out of Bangalore. He is a guest contributor on The Big Scope, in addition to serving as the Editor-in-chief of The Times Blog, and the lead vocalist for the Bangalore-based rock group 'The Pedestrians'.

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